Gen5 SSDs have been out for a good while now, and they still haven't managed to capture the attention of mainstream audiences. The standard, despite seeing significant drops in prices & supply getting much better, these products are still positioned in the enthusiast category, and manufacturers are trying to promote their storage solutions with some innovative ideas, which mostly involve cooling solutions.
Although companies like Phison, Silicon Motion, InnoGrit, and the rest and trying their best to offer the best possible speeds at the best possible thermals and power envelopes, Gen5 SSDs are still a hot solution. Temperatures have been a concern since most Gen5 devices peak out around 70C - 85C before thermal throttling kicks in. As such, they require some good cooling solutions. Now, it can be seen that SSD makers themselves and even motherboard makers now offer some decent, and typically high-end, solutions for NVMe devices. But, heatsink variants sometimes cost a tad bit extra. Sometimes, these heatsinks are too bulky and won't be compatible with the motherboard itself. That's where the aftermarket solutions come in.
TeamGroup is one of the aftermarket SSD cooling providers. They first showcased their latest SSD cooling solutions at Computex 2024. These include a range of Air and Liquid cooling solutions. The most common trend is to make the heatsinks taller, fuse in some copper heatpipes, and add an air or liquid AIO cooler to keep things running optimally. One of these solutions is the T-Force Dark Air Flow 1, which is a standard tower heatsink but much smaller than a traditional CPU heatsink that we have seen.
| Model | T-FORCE DARK AirFlow I SSD Cooler | |||
| Application | M.2 2280 SSD | |||
| Fan Powered | 12V / 0.1A | |||
| Fan socket | 2510 4PIN | |||
| Fan cable length | 50cm | |||
| Storage Temperature | -40℃ ~ 80℃ | |||
| Weight | 83g | |||
| Dimensions | 75.0(L) x 24.7(W) x 62.3(H) mm | |||
| Operating System | Windows 11 / 10 / 8.1 / 8 / 7 / Vista, MAC OS 10.4 or later, Linux 2.6.33 or later, PlayStation 4 with system software version 4.50 or higher, PlayStatio 5 (play and store PS4 games or archive PS5 Games), Chrome OS |
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| Warranty | 1-year warranty | |||
TeamGroup T-Force DARK Airflow 1 SSD Cooler Design & Specs
The TeamGroup T-Force DARK Airflow 1 SSD cooler comes in a small cardboard package, which lists the heatsink name, the PCIe Gen5 compatibility, and its 40mm dual-cooler heatsink design on the front.
The back offers some additional specifications, which we will detail in a bit.
Opening the front cover, you can see the package contents and an installation guide.
The cooler itself is packed with a plastic container.
So, coming to the design and specs of the TeamGroup T-Force DARK Airflow 1 SSD cooler. We start by letting you know that this solution can be used as both an active and passive cooling heatsink.
The full heatsink measures 75x24.7x62.3 mm (LxWxH). The heatsink weighs 80 grams. The heatsink employs a total of 13 aluminum fin arrays, which are stacked vertically.
The fins are made using an aluminum alloy structure, and the entire heatsink is coated black, which provides a good look.
Two 4mm copper heatpipes run through these fins, which are designed to transfer heat equally and dissipate it quickly.
The heatsink has a single PWM fan attached to the sides. This is a 40mm cooling fan that effectively cools all 13 aluminum fins and dissipates the hot air from the other side. The fan is powered by a standard 4-pin connector. This cable has a max length of 300mm.
According to TeamGroup, the DARK Airflow 1 SSD cooler has a maximum TDP of 25W, which is enough to cool the highest-end Gen5 SSDs.
As far as compatibility with Gen5 SSDs is concerned, the DARK Airflow 1 supports up to 2280 SSD form factors and has Graphene heatpads on both sides. Two additional pads are provided in the package itself.
TeamGroup T-Force DARK Airflow 1 SSD Cooler Performance & Conclusion
In terms of cooling performance, the DARK Airflow does a phenomenal job, both in active and passive states. In passive operation, the cooler provided close to 50 °C temperatures at peak load, while under its active state, it delivered 41 °C peak temps. These are great and show that the 8000 RPM fan does a superb job in cooling even the strongest Gen5 SSDs on the market. As for noise, at max RPM mode, the cooler produced around 45 dB(A) sound, while setting the fan at a 50% PWM mode produced around 40 dB(A) of noise.
Temperatures
As for pricing, the cooler retails for $20 US. If we compare these with SSD manufacturer prices, which charge around the same $20-$30 US for the heatsink variant of their products, going with the DARK Airflow I seems like a better choice given its better cooling characteristics. Clearance on your board might be an issue, so it's better to check if the dimensions of the SSD cooler work with your setup, but otherwise, the T-Force DARK Airflow I is a superb heatsink capable of keeping the fastest Gen5 solutions under 50 °C with a breeze.
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